Having chocolate for breakfast is definitely not a habit I want to keep: I recently found non-dairy dark chocolate that I could have and chocolate that I have fallen in love with! Problem is…it didn’t last so long. I got so excited that I’d found some and promptly had it for breakfast 2 days in a row! Further justification? On the first day, it was because I had just come from a long run and needed to reward myself by eating something I enjoyed…even though it was still early and not my usual breakfast time. On the second day, I had no excuse – it just felt justifiable the day before, so why not just have some this morning? Problem is, that was the start of a day of poor eating habits. I craved and ate sweet things the entire day, food items that were not great for my productivity. I could see a pattern and a bad habit setting in…
As I reflected on my day at the end of it, I got reminded about the power of habits and how they form, dictate, direct and define how we live our lives on a day to day basis, the choices we make, the things we do without necessarily thinking through them and how bad habits can be adopted very quickly for their instant gratification, and good habits may take a long time to adopt because of their longer gratification period.
However, intelligence knows and shows that once you have adopted that good habit, as is the nature of it being a habit, it becomes ingrained within us and easier to follow and fall back on with time.
It got me thinking about how the 1st couple of things I do in the morning determine how the rest of my day in different areas will pan out
- I know when I take that 1st hour in the morning for self-introspection, I go through the day with a clearer mindset and am able to quickly refocus where I may become distracted;
- I know when I put on my exercise gear and make it out the door each morning, I come back with a rejuvenated, fresh perspective on life and my day turns out well and
- I definitely know that when I have a healthy breakfast in the morning, my meal choices throughout the day are also healthy, meaning that my mind and physical body function better.
Your turn
- What habits have you formed, without really thinking about them, that you know are not supportive for the life, the body, the mind, the creativity, the relationships and the wealth that you really want to have?
- What good daily habits have you formed; habits that you have actively chosen and taken the time to nurture; habits that allow you to perform better; habits that give you clarity of mind, clarity of purpose and clarity of actions?
- What self-love habits have you formed for peak performance in all areas of your life?
I look forward to hearing more about your habits. Live comments below and let’s engage.
Barbara
